"We're always looking to give customers at least two if not three options for any given carrier size," says Jeff Malarik, hydraulic attachment product manager.

A 46-metric-ton excavator, for instance, can now use the HB 3000, HB 3600 or HB 4200 breaker models (attachment nomenclature based on tool weight in metric tons). At a service weight of 7,940 pounds, the new HB 3600 is suited to carriers in the 35- to 63-metric-ton range.

"As part of the product development for us, we follow closely the development of excavators," says Peter Bigwood, president, Atlas Copco Construction Tools. "As the sizes of excavators evolve, we want to make sure that there is a class of breakers that is appropriate for that evolution. And, generally speaking, there is such a broad range of carriers out there that you want to make sure that you can fill any conceivable gap as you move forward. Going from a 3000 hammer to a 4200 is, in our minds, a bit of a gap and we wanted to fill that."

To deliver up to 560 blows per minute, the HB 3600 accepts a maximum hydraulic flow of 79 gallons per minute at 2,610 pounds per square inch of pressure. As with each of the HB Series breakers introduced since 2005, specifically the larger 4200, 5800, 7000 and 10000 models, the HB 3600 features the PowerAdapt system, on top of such Atlas Copco standards as AutoControl, StartSelect and ContiLube found on other HB and MB Series models, says Malarik.

Should the breaker receive excessive oil pressure from the carrier, PowerAdapt will automatically halt the breaker, returning it to normal function once the overflow is corrected. "If for any reason the carrier gets out of whack in terms of pressure and flow, PowerAdapt will shut down the breaker rather than over-pressurizing it, the latter which would certainly damage the breaker," says Malarik. This feature is particularly useful, he says, when a contractor switches out the breaker from one carrier to another and then forgets to optimize it with the second carrier, perhaps of a different size and make than the first.

AutoControl is a monitoring system which, by firing the first stroke at half-power, allows the breaker to adapt frequency and power output to match conditions. Likewise, StartSelect allows breaker start-up and shut-off functions to be adjusted to the particular jobsite. Standard on the HB 3600, an energy recovery system prevents damage from piston recoil on extremely hard conditions, the VibroSilenced damping system reduces vibration and noise, and the newest ContiLube automatic lubrication system eliminates the need to manually grease the tool before each use.

"These features that are built into really all the HB and most of the MB hammers now, we consider to be critical for the self-preservation of the hammer," says Bigwood. "What we aim to do is to ensure the longevity of the breakers by building in these features that each in their own way protects and preserves the hammer for as long as possible."

List prices for the HB 3600 are $127,600 and $131,200, for the standard and DustProtector versions respectively.